Nest goes after Ring and home security players with latest updates

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Nest, the Alphabet-owned smart home automation provider, has issued a variety of roadmap and product updates around home security.

Among the products, as part of an overall home security solution, is a secure alarm system, an outdoor security camera, as well as a video doorbell system.

The move is the “next phase” of Nest’s strategy to “create the thoughtful home,” in the words of CEO Marwan Fawaz. “Today we’re disrupting yet another product industry: home security,” he said in a statement. “By building product experiences our customers love, Nest has experienced more than 60% growth on devices shipped in recent years and continues to expand to millions of homes around the world.”

The company cites a survey from Nationwide in 2013 which found 43% of people who own alarm systems never arm them, and according to Matt Rogers, Nest founder and chief product officer, this served as inspiration to change the market in the same way Nest has tried to change the smart thermostat market.

Nest Secure is therefore marketed as the ‘first alarm system that is actually enjoyable to live with’, as the company puts it. Through a variety of different products, from Detect, a sensor that detects both motion and open or close movement, to Tag, a fob that will allow users to arm and disarm Secure without a passcode, the product aims to relate to different routines various members of the home will have.

With Nest Hello on the other hand, the target in the company’s sights appears to be Ring, the Santa Monica-based company which provides security cameras, accessories, and – of course – video doorbells. Nest Hello can “detect a person, then send an alert and a snapshot, even if that person doesn’t ring the bell,” the company said.

Pricing for the Nest Secure starter pack, including Nest Guard, two Nest Detects and two Nest Tags, will be at the recommended retail price of $499. You can read the full announcements here.

Picture credit: Nest

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